A Wake Up Call About Sleep and Rest

A Lancet Psychiatry study published in May 2018 measured the activity/rest patterns in more than 90,000 people by having them wear wrist accelerometers for seven days. These devices enabled the researchers to calculate the extent to which circadian rhythms were disrupted in these subjects.
The researchers found that a disrupted body clock is associated with:

higher rates of major depression, bipolar disorder, and mood instability

feelings of loneliness

less happiness

slower reaction times

The study could not determine whether a disrupted body clock caused these problems. For example, possibly another factor both disrupted the body clock, and caused the problems the researchers saw. However, the results were consistent across different measures of wellbeing. The results also corresponded to links uncovered in previous studies between sleep and varied outcomes, such as the risk of Alzheimer’s Disease.

Consequently, the research suggests that certain conveniences in modern that disrupt our activity/rest patterns may not be good for our health and happiness. For example, light at night suppresses our melatonin production, making it harder to go to sleep. Thus, artificial evening lighting in our homes, and street lights outside, can have a downside. Even cell phones, and computers, unless adjusted, can be problematic.

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